Grain-separating apparatus.



Patented Nov. 26, l9 0l. T; T. GAFF &-.I. F. GENT. GRAIN SEPARATINGAPPARATUS.

' (No Model.)

(Application filed May 24, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Shim! l.

THE "0 I}: PETERS co, PNOTQU'I'HOU wAsHmoT u, D. I

No. 687,220.v V Patented Nov. 26, I901.

T. T. GAFF &. J. F. GENT.

GRAIN SEPARATING APPARATUS.

(Applicatiop filed m 24. 1901.) v (No Model.) 2 Sheets-sheaf 2.

UNIT D STATES PATENT Orrice.

THOMAS T. GAFF, OF BARNSTABLE, MASSACHUSETTS, AND JOSEPH F. GENT, OFINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

G RAIN-SEPARATING APPARATUS.

srncrrlon'rron forming part of Letters Patent No. 687,220, datedNovember 26, 1901.

Application filed Ma 24, 1901.

To all whom it may coir/corn:

Be it known that we, THOMAS T. GAFF, of Barnstable, in the countyofBarnstable and State of Massachusetts, and JOSEPH F. GENT,

of Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-SeparatingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

In an application for Letters Patent by Thomas T. Gaff, one of theapplicants herein, for an improvement in the treatment of maize orIndian corn forobtaining corn-millingproducts, filed March 7, 1901,Serial No. 50,4417, I 5 there is described a process of manufacturewhich involves the employment of a gravitybath forthepurposeofseparatingthe coarselybroken starch-bearing bits of grainfrom the germs.

Our invention is directed to an apparatus which primarily is designed tobe used for that purpose, but which also can be used as a grain-washerwherever it is desired, as in milling, to rid the grain of bits of coband 2 5 other relatively lighter refuse before proceeding with itsfurther treatment.

The apparatus which-we have devised consists of two main parts -a tankto contain the liquid which constitutesthe bath and an elevatingmechanism comprising a chamber which is connected with the bottom orlower part of the tank, so as to receive the heavy material that sinksin the bath, and a series of perforated paddles or flights which movecontinuously through said chamber and which in size and contourcorrespond to the crosssectional area and shape of said chamber, so thateach paddle or flight will carry along before it all of the solidmaterial which may be between it and the flight or paddle next in front,the outer and side walls of said chamber being formed by the walls ofthe case in which the chamber is located and the inner wall of thechamber being formed by the device which carries or supports theflights. These and other features of our invention can best be explainedand understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, which representthe preferred embodiment of our improvements, and in which Figure 1 is aside elevation, partly in secend elevation of the same. section on line3 3, Fig. 1, the feed hoppers Serial No. 61,679- (No model.)

tion, of the complete apparatus. Fig. 2 is an Fig. 3 is a crossandchutes leading therefrom to the tanks being omitted. Fig. 4 is a sectionon line 4 4, Fig. 3, of the casing and the elevating mechanism containedtherein.

A A represent the casing containing the elevating mechanism, and B B arethe tanks containing the liquid. Two of these tanks are shown, one oneach side of the casing. We prefer to use two tanks as a matter ofconvenience; but of course one only may be employed,

if desired. Above each tankis a hopper O to contain the material to betreated, from which leads a chute D, which discharges into the tank. Atthe base of the hopper is a feedroll a, which operates in connectionwith a concave c and is rotated by means of a pulley c driven from anysuitable source of power. treated can be fed in regulated quantity tothe tank. Each tank is provided at one end withan inflow-pipe a for theliquid and at the opposite endwith an overflow b, from which leads achute b for carrying away the material floated off from the top of thebath. In practice while the apparatus is in operation there is aconstant flow of liquid through the tank, the liquid which entersthrough pipe at replacing that which overflows at b, the level of theliquid being indicated by'the dotted lines in Fig. 1. Within the tankand just below the inner end of the inflow-pipe a is a lip or plate a,which is so inclined as to deflect the entering current upwardly and atthe same time direct it toward the overflow, in this way assisting infloating off the light material.

It is desirable that means should be provided whereby all of thematerial which enters the tank should be submerged in the liquid. Thisis particularly desirablezand, indeed, essential to complete separationin treating a mixture of'germs and bits of starchbearing portions ofgrain, for the reason that otherwise quite a percentage of the latterwill not sink, but will be floated olf with the germs. As a convenientmeans forthis purpose (although we are not limited to this particularmeans) we make use of a flutter-wheel E,

By this means the material to be' mounted in the tank at or near thedischarge end of the chute D, so as to be partly submerged in the liquidand operating in connection with a concave eon the lower end of aninclined plate 6' in the chute D, over and upon which the materialdescends from the hopper. The material passes between the flutter-wheeland the concave e, and is thus forcibly submerged in the bath. Thestarch-bearing portions of the grain are thus thoroughly wett'ed andwill at once sink, while the deflectingplate a of the inflow-pipe standsin such relation to the concave e that the lighter material as it passesbeyond the latter will be directed by the entering current toward theoverflow.

The flutter-wheel E can be driven by any suitable meansas, for example,by a pulley E belted to any suitable prime mover.

Each tank 13 is hopper-shaped and at its lower end communicates with theinterior of the casing A A at a pointfnear the bottom of the latter. Thecasingis composed of two portions. The lower portion A is water-tight.The upper portion A is of wood or any other suitable material and ismerely a cover for the elevating mechanism, being removable to permitaccess to the latter whenever desired.

The lower part of the casing being in communication with the tanks is ofcourse always filled with liquid to the same level as in the tanks.

Within the case A A are the flights or paddles F, by which the materialthat enters the case is taken care of and finally discharged from thecase. These flights travel continuously in one direction, and for thispurpose may be mounted upon any suitable carrier.

In the present instance they are attached to the rim G of a wheel havingspokes GK and a hub G The hub is journaled in the casing and is revolvedby pulley G driven by suitable belting. The direction of revolution ofthe wheel is indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4. The flights or paddlesare perforated, so as to allow the liquid to drain from the materialafter the paddles rise above the level of the bath, and they preferablyslightly trail or incline to the rear relatively to the direction inwhich they move.

The lower half A of the case is semicylindrical in shape and of suchsize that the paddles at their outer edges will meet or nearly meet theouter wall of the case and their side edges will meet or nearly meet theside walls of the case. The flights or paddles thus move in what, ineffect, is a chamber of which the sides and outer wall are formed by thecase and the inner wall by the rim of the wheel to which the flights aresecured. The heavy material from the tank B enters this chamber at thepoints f, is at once carried along by the flights F, and is lifted bythem to a point j above the level of the liquid, where it can bedischarged from the flights. After the material is thus raised above thelevel of the liquid and before it is discharged the liquid will drainfrom it through the perforations in the paddles. At the dischargepointis a hinged or pivoted scraper H, contained in a housing I, from whichleads a chute J. The acting end of this scraper overhangs the paddles,and it acts to clean each paddle successively, being lifted by thepaddle until its end escapes therefrom, when it will at once drop tomeet and act upon the next paddle in the same way. This scraper can bespring-pressed, if desired. The material falls from the paddles into thechute J, through which it is carried off to any desired point.

The discharge-pointj from the chamber A into the chute J is about on alevel with the axis of the wheel, Owing to the trail of the paddles theystill incline downwardly and outwardly at the time they pass thedischargepoint, as indicated in Fig. 4, thus being in a position topermit the scraper to act effectively to rid them of their load.

The wheel revolves slowly in order to disturb the liquid in the casingas little as possible.

Having described our improvements and the best way now known to us ofcarrying the same into practical effect, we state in conclusion that wedo not limit ourselves narrowly to the structural details hereinbeforeset forth in illustration of our invention; but

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In a separating apparatus a casing, a traveling carrier, and a seriesof elevating flights or paddles attached to said carrier, fitting snuglybetween the sides,and arranged to sweep over the floor, of the casing ina chamber of which the sides and outer wall are formed by the casing andthe inner wall by the carrier; and a separating-tank containing the bathin which the materials are separated by gravity, and communicating atits lower end with the lower part of the said chamber in the casing,substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

2. The combination of the casing, the separating-tank communicating atits lower end with the lower part of the casing, the traveling carrierand the series of elevating flights or paddles attached to the same andarranged to sweep over the floor of the casing, and an automatic scraperadapted to operate upon each paddle as it rises above the surface of theliquid in the casing and reaches the discharge-point in the casing,substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. The separating-tank, having a hoppershaped bottom, an inflow-pipe forthe liquid which forms a bath, and an overflow for the liquid, incombination with means by which the material to be treated as it entersthe tank is forced below the surface of the liquid therein, and adeflecting-plate by which the entering current of liquid is directed,crosswise of the column of submerged material,

upwardly and toward the overflow substanin the casing, substantially asand for the tially as and for the purposes hereinbefore purposeshereinbefore set forth.

set forth. In testimony whereof we have hereunto set 4. The casingconnected to the tank which our hands this 20th day of May, 1901. 5contains the bath in combination with the i wheel mounted to revolvetherein, the perforated elevating flights or paddles attached to the rimof said wheel, and the scraping Witnesses:

device for acting upon the paddles as they FRANZ O. BEPP, 1osuccessively rise above the level of the liquid KARL T. GENT.

